


Hard To Breathe Inside My Ocean

by screwstyles



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: (but its short lived i promise), 2020 Season, Alpha Max, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Body Worship, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Knotting, M/M, Omega Daniel, Rimming, Smut, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:55:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29678760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screwstyles/pseuds/screwstyles
Summary: Realistically, Daniel knows he’s aging, and he’s not in denial about that, but processing three separate incidents in the space of four weeks where his age has come up has made him think about it more than usual.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Comments: 8
Kudos: 123





	Hard To Breathe Inside My Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> Ive been in this fandom for six months and the number of works ive written for it equals the number of works I wrote for a fandom I was in for years and years. Crazy. This also takes me to a total of 94K words, so I could have a PhD by now, but instead ive chosen to write a lot of smut. 
> 
> Title from Stroke by Banks

_Mugello_

When Daniel steps into Max’s hotel room, the curtains are drawn shut and there is barely enough light for him to see at first. There is steam coming out of the bathroom to his right, but he passes it quickly in favour of stepping into the bedroom itself in search of Max. He finds him lying down on his back on top of the covers, eyes closed and breathing deeply, and for a second Daniel nearly mistakes him to be asleep, until he shifts at Daniel’s presence and opens his eyes. 

He is clearly still wound up, traces of anger etched into his smell from the race two hours ago, but his face softens as he makes eye contact with Daniel and nods to his side, spreading an arm out in a silent invitation. Daniel doesn’t need a verbal prompt to slide onto the bed and into Max’s embrace, placing his head on his chest and feeling Max’s arm wrap around his shoulder. He presses his face into Max’s thin shirt, inhaling the comforting Alpha smell, and feels Max press a kiss to the top of his head. 

“I was rooting for you so bad, baby. But you know it’ll come.” 

Daniel nods against his chest, and his heart clenches. Even when Max has had a shitshow of a race himself, his car giving out on him yet again and resulting in another DNF, Max still worries for Daniel. Max always worries for Daniel, but it’s moments like these Daniel is reminded how fiercely his mate cares for him. It never fails to take his breath away. 

He nuzzles into Max, and feels better when Max exhales slowly, his scent covering Daniel and making his inner omega purr. 

“You too. Honda can’t even make a good road car, don’t understand what they’re doing in Formula One. They should stay in the kiddie league.” 

Max snorts and pulls Daniel closer into him. Daniel hooks a leg over Max’s to get more comfortable and melt their bodies into one as much as humanly possible. 

“I just wanna forget about it, if I’m honest. At least I can take comfort in my mate doing well and getting some good points,” he sighs, but it sounds more exhausted than angry now, and his scent is lighter than it was just a minute ago. 

He feels Max’s thumb come to rest at the base of his neck, right where it meets his collarbone, and rub at where their mating spot will be one day. He does this every time he refers to Daniel as his mate, reminds him that even if they can’t mate just yet while such a big chunk of their lives is public, one day he will sink his teeth into Daniel right there and claim him. It always makes shivers run down Daniel’s spine, and this time is no different. He feels Max huff, pleased, and he suspects he can read Daniel’s reaction in his scent. 

“Yeah, Renault will be pleased with fourth. I just hate having wasted two whole years here when I’m not getting any younger. I’ve never wanted third place so bad, you can’t imagine,” he tells Max. 

“You have _years_ ahead of you, babe. You will get so many more podiums, and I honestly believe I will see you crowned a world champion one day. You will make me the proudest Alpha on the whole grid,” Max responds, and Daniel can feel the sincerity of each word in the air. He knows Max wouldn’t lie about something like this, and he believes him. 

He drifts off to sleep without noticing, and dreams of soaking Max in champagne from the top step of the podium in the hopefully not so distant future. 

*** 

_Sochi_

Russia is hot and uncomfortable and shitty even before the race itself. Daniel arrives to the paddock alone, which puts a damper on his mood, and he can’t help but glare at Max from a distance when he sees him enter the Red Bull facilities with his entourage trailing him. It isn’t Max’s fault they have to stay away from each other for the duration of this weekend; in fact, it was Daniel’s own decision to keep a distance when he heard Max’s dad was visiting this race weekend – Jos doesn’t know about them being together, and Daniel doesn’t want to take the risk of Max’s scent changing around him and causing Max any issues with his dad. Objectively, it’s for the best. 

Instead, he resigns himself to bullying Esteban until he looks annoyed to the point of being five minutes away from complaining to Cyril (as if that would help; Daniel has Cyril wrapped around his finger), and when Daniel gives up, he heads to the drivers’ briefing early to grab a seat. At least if he can’t sit next to Max, he can send him a pointed look as he enters. Daniel isn’t sure what exactly the point of that look would be, probably that he misses him already, but he can figure that out later. 

He’s surprised to see Kevin already in the room as he walks in, particularly as it’s another twenty minutes to go until the start and F1 drivers aren’t exactly known for their punctuality. Well, maybe Sebastian, but Sebastian is like a polite house husband that accidentally managed to make it in his favourite sport. 

Kevin seems very focused on his phone, but as soon as he notices Daniel enter the room, he jovially waves him over. Daniel can’t say he’s exactly close with Kevin, but they get along, and he slides into the seat next to him, throwing him a greeting. Kevin smells happy and proud, his pheromones inviting, and Daniel has to resist nuzzling into him just because his own Alpha is currently off-limits, however self-imposed. 

“Don’t you look buzzing. Care to share?” Daniel asks as he settles in next to him. 

Kevin turns the screen of his phone towards Daniel. 

“Louise just sent me this video, it’s the first time the pup is kicking that you can see the tummy moving. Look, right here,” he points to the top left side of his omega’s pregnant stomach, where indeed Daniel can see the skin rippling with movement. Kevin’s wife laughs in the video, and Kevin does too next to Daniel. 

“Oh wow, man, that’s a little kicker you’ve got there. When is the baby due?” Daniel asks, eyes stil glued to the screen. It reminds him of when his sister was pregnant with his nephew, and it makes him smile warmly. Kevin’s own scent is spiked so high with happiness, he can’t help but feel a bit of the second-hand giddiness himself. 

“Should be another three months,” he smiles, taking back his phone when Daniel hands it over, and grins. “It would be perfect timing, too. I’ll be on a break from racing and get to spend some time with the pup once she arrives, and you know, just generally, we feel like it’s the right time.” 

Kevin seems so animated talking about it, and there’s few things Daniel loves more than seeing people talk about the things that make them happy, so he readily indulges him. 

“Right time?” he prompts, curling the tail-end of the sentence in curiosity. 

Kevin nods. 

“Well, we’re nearing our thirties, we’re settled financially, we have a good number of years behind us to not miss our childless days anymore, you know, it’s all coming together. Louise is a bit worried if she waits much longer the birth will be harder on her, even if she’s at the peak of child bearing years,” he laughs softly and shrugs. “But you know, whatever the omega wants, the omega gets. She’s broody, so I deliver.” 

Daniel rolls his eyes at Kevin good-heartedly and smiles widely, fully knowing that to be the case from personal experience. Alphas may have the social status and the physicality and whatever else, but omegas have their charm. 

“You two seem super excited. I’m happy for you,” Daniel says, and this time he does nuzzle into Kevin a little bit, to show how sincerely he means it. Kevin is a gentle Alpha, none more so than when it comes to pups, and when Daniel first met him, he could have bet money on Kevin starting a family as one of the youngest on the grid. 

Kevin pulls him into a sideways hug briefly, and they don’t have much time to wrap up their conversation as some of the other drivers start filing in, Esteban taking the seat on Daniel’s other side. Well, clearly Daniel didn’t do a good enough job annoying him if he’s forgiven him so soon; no time like the present. 

Daniel starts beatboxing under his breath, just low enough for only the people right next to him to hear, and when Esteban sighs exasperatedly, he exchanges a victorious smile with Kevin. That’s more like it. 

Later, after the briefing and multiple longing glances in Max’s direction (Max actually smells stressed, whether it’s because of the race, his dad, or the distance between them, so Daniel does feel a little guilty, but he also misses his Alpha, goddammit, so he’s allowed to sulk), he catches a glimpse of his reflection in the glass panel of the Renault hallway. It startles him, especially when his gaze is drawn to the lines under his eyes as he smiles on reflex, and he feels something uncomfortable twist in his gut. 

He swallows past it and makes his way towards his driver’s room to catch a breather before the team briefing, but when he slides open his phone and his nephew grins at him from his lock screen, he’s reminded of his earlier conversation with Kevin. 

The words echo in his mind unpleasantly, not because he’s unhappy for Kevin – the exact opposite, in fact – but because he can’t help but compare the situation with his own. He turns thirty-two next year, and he’s nowhere near done with racing yet. Louise is twenty-eight. He smooths a hand down his stomach, breathes in deeply to watch it grow round with the air in his lungs. 

It’s not like he and Max haven’t talked about pups; it started out as words Max couldn’t hold back in rut, Daniel’s body reacting to his Alpha and yearning to be filled, and after the third consecutive heat where Daniel found himself coming to the thought of Max knocking him up, Max panting in his ear about how beautiful he would look carrying his pup, they talked about it more seriously. They agreed they both wanted pups one day, no question about it, but it was something for the future. There was no pressure. 

Now, as Daniel exhales and watches his stomach deflate, he’s not so sure. His biology is a ticking clock, and the hands aren’t exactly working in his favour. He doesn’t want to retire in five years and have a thirty-seven-year-old body that might not be able to give him and his Alpha what they want. 

His phone pings with a ‘ _??? briefing starting in 2_ ’ from Aurelie, so he shakes himself out of the mood and gets up. He’s not sure he’ll be able to contain his scent from showing the sourness he’s feeling, but he knows he can cover it up with a well-practised smile, so he doesn’t dwell on it too much. Time to go. 

It doesn’t help that on Saturday when he’s saying hi Roscoe, his dad is on local Tinder swiping through photos. Daniel is giving Roscoe some scratches when Lewis pulls him in. 

“Yes or no?” he asks. The girl in the photo is pretty, blonde with blue eyes and a nice curve to her that makes Daniel think of Max’s broad shoulders, and he nods in approval. 

“She’s a score, definite yes,” he answers, watching Lewis swipe right. The next girl that shows up isn’t Daniel's type, so he doesn’t comment, but what he does notice is the figure next to her name. _Alina, 20_. 

“Bro, do you not think she’s a bit young for you?” Daniel asks, lifting an eyebrow as Lewis goes through her photos. Lewis snorts at Daniel’s question. 

“No? Isn’t the point of being good looking and rich and famous that you can get young chicks even if they normally wouldn’t go for your age?” he laughs, swiping right on her. It’s an instant match. “There’s a reason I’ve set an age bracket, mate. No one over twenty-five,” Lewis wiggles his eyebrows, at which Daniel rolls his eyes. “I like my omegas virile and energetic.” 

Daniel shakes his head, but doesn’t respond. The comment hits a bit too close for comfort. 

*** 

_Nurburgring_

Germany is, for Daniel, fucking fantastic. 

It’s not like he didn’t believe he could do it, but knowing it and actually experiencing it are two completely different things, so by the time he’s on the podium receiving his trophy, the electric thrum going through his veins is unparalleled. The whole team is ecstatic, having finally broken the podium drought, and spraying them all with champagne seems like the culmination of nearly two years’ worth of bad luck and misfortune and hard work, like it’s finally turning into something good. 

He’s so high off his third-place finish he actually forgets to do a shoey, and he can’t say his mind starts functioning any more normally after that. He’s whisked off by the team quickly after, Aurelie offering to take a video of him and his belated shoey for Instagram, and after, he only sees Max for a minute when Max physically grabs him and pulls him behind one of the team garages. He presses Daniel against the wall roughly and kisses him hard, his arousal evident in his smell. Shit, Daniel forgot that if there’s anything that gets his Alpha going, it’s double podiums. It’s been a while. 

He tilts his head back, allows Max to gently nip at his throat and exhale against it. Even if his team won’t be able to place who it is, Daniel knows the smell of an Alpha will be evident on him, and he can tell he’s getting a bit wet from Max’s possessive behaviour. 

“Max, they’ll know I'm turned on if you don’t stop,” he says half-heartedly, all the while spreading his legs to make room for Max’s thigh slipping between them. He grinds down, unable to hold himself back. 

Max growls. 

“Good. I want them to know you’re mine, that the most talented, brilliant omega on the whole grid belongs to me. That your happiness is my happiness,” he says, and Daniel can feel his fingers digging into his hips even through the thick race suit. 

Daniel’s whole body is warm, pleased with how proud his Alpha is, the joy radiating off him as much as off himself, and he can’t help a quiet purr he lets out. 

He feels Max smile into the crook of his neck and ease off him. Daniel can’t say for sure this isn’t what he wanted from Daniel all along. 

“Go. You have your team, they’ll want to show you how special you are, and they damn well should. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he finally says, stepping back and creating a bit of distance between them. Daniel nods, but takes one deep breath to remember how Max smells right now. It’s electrifying. 

“Tomorrow, yeah?” 

Max smiles in agreement, and Daniel turns around to get to his team. He yelps when he feels Max smack his bum a second later, and he’s still laughing when he makes it to the Renault garage, everybody gearing up for a team photo. Cyril, being a beta, doesn’t luckily smell anything wrong with him, which is a relief, but the moment the photo is taken and Michael comes to hand him his protein smoothie, he wrinkles his nose. 

“Keep that shit private, mate,” he tells him good-naturedly, but his grin is as bright as Daniel’s has been all afternoon. 

Daniel wiggles his eyebrows at Michael suggestively. 

“You should be happy I get an extra work out in practically daily. Sometimes twice a day. Good for the body, good for the mind.” 

Michael groans and rolls his eyes, well used to Daniel’s antics. 

“I will kick your arse for your next work out,” he mutters. 

“I prefer a slap, actually,” Daniel laughs at Michael’s expression when he closes his eyes and shakes his head. 

“Alright, drink your smoothie and let’s get going. If you’re nice, I won’t tell your performance coach what atrocious things you plan on downing tonight.” 

Daniel awakes to footsteps in his flat and a parched throat. As soon as the door to his room opens, he can smell it’s an Alpha, but as the person gets closer Daniel doesn’t need to open his eyes to realise it’s Michael and not his mate; not that he expected him, what with Max being in Monaco and Daniel crashing in his very German hotel room at five am, but a drunk brain isn’t exactly a rational brain. He groans, trying to bury himself deeper into his pillow, but looks to be unsuccessful when Michael doesn’t disappear and instead comes closer. 

“Are you feeling as utterly shitty and horrid as I am right now?” Daniel asks, and cringes internally when he realises just how dry his throat is. He’s afraid to open his eyes. 

Michael makes an agreeable noise and falls into bed next to Daniel. The ripple it causes makes his stomach protest. When he finally speaks, he sounds in as much pain as Daniel’s brain is currently feeling. 

“I want to time travel back to twelve hours ago and warn us not to drink. Alcohol evil.” 

Daniel agrees with that, and he fumbles blindly around the bed until he hits Michael’s body. He moves to cuddle into him, and feels Michael pat his head very, very lightly in a soothing gesture. 

“Super evil. We should celebrate the next podium with a fucking picnic or some shit, I don’t vibe with hangovers like I used to,” he mutters, and feels Michael snort. 

“We may be old and past our prime for working potential alcohol poisoning out of our bodies, but we’re not fucking boring,” Michael tells him, then physically forces one of Daniel's eyes open with his fingers. “Come on. Breakfast closes in thirty, and if there’s one thing our bodies could do with, it’s some grease. No training today, promise.” 

Daniel nearly whimpers from happiness at those words, but he settles for gently huffing into Michael’s chest. He’ll get the message anyway. 

Michael, thank God, finds enough willpower to drag Daniel down to breakfast, then pack for him, and finally stuff him into the airplane for the flight home, the duration of which Daniel spends blankly staring at the sky and trying to forget about his physical existence. It only works a little bit, but he also chucks down two ibuprofen and gulps a bathtub’s worth of water, so he has faith in his body getting back to normal – well, by the end of the month, anyway. Maybe. 

It’s late afternoon by the time Michael rings the doorbell to Max and Daniel’s flat, because Daniel cannot for the life of him find his keys. He also doesn’t understand how Michael is behaving like a functioning human being, when all Daniel wants to do is fall back into bed and sleep until there isn’t a single drop of alcohol in his blood. 

Max opens the door looking like everything Daniel has ever wanted to use as a pillow. 

“I have a delivery for you,” Michael says to Max as he ushers Daniel in, placing his stuff in the hallway. “One extremely hungover omega.” 

Max looks at them in amusement, then spreads his arms and Daniel nearly stumbles over his feet in his haste to take his place moulded to Max’s body. He immediately presses his nose to Max’s neck, finding comfort in how their scents start to mix. 

“You wanna crash here? I can only imagine what you’ve had to put up with this morning, no reason you should still travel home,” Max asks Michael, gesturing to their guest room. As territorial as he usually is, particularly around other Alphas, Daniel is grateful Max gets along so well with his best friend. 

“Yes, please. I wish we were your age, we’d have already recovered. As it is, I'll see you tomorrow,” he says, making Max laugh and his chest vibrate against Daniel’s sternum. 

Daniel watches Michael disappear into the guest room, then nuzzles into Max more insistently and melts into him when Max scents him gently, combing a hand through his curls. For all he jokes, he doesn’t actually want to make Michael uncomfortable, and there’s some things he wants to keep between himself and his mate. 

Luckily, he doesn’t need to verbalise his wants, Max knowing exactly what Daniel needs, and he tugs him into the bedroom, keeping a tight hold of him as he does. They slip under the covers easily, and Max barely has time to undress Daniel and manoeuvre him into a comfortable position before Daniel feels himself drift off. He sleeps for a couple of hours until Max brings him a snack, and then again through the night. The next morning, he feels like something resembling a human being, at last. 

*** 

Realistically, Daniel knows he’s aging, and he’s not in denial about that, either. A good bunch of his friends have gotten married in the past five years, and every time he calls Isaac (which is practically every other day) he’s reminded that he’s an uncle, which he absolutely adores. He’s learnt to make smarter food choices, well aware that his body can no longer absorb a whole cheat meal like it used to ten years ago, and he’s no stranger to waking up to a random joint making itself known because it’s cold outside, no matter that he’s in peak physical condition. 

But processing three separate incidents in the space of four weeks where his age come has come up has made him think about it more than usual. He’s not self-conscious about it – he's not the type of person to dwell on things he can’t change, and this is certainly one of them – but it’s something that weighs on his mind. 

There are certain expectations that people have about you when you’re in your thirties, particularly when you’re an omega, and though Daniel is still at the lower end of the scale, he knows it won’t be long until the questions start. It’s particularly bad when he doesn’t even feel like he’s there mentally. He’s always been of the opinion that age is just a number, and how you feel inside is what defines you. He’s never been afraid to call himself immature, either, because he knows he is, and that’s not a bad thing. He’s young at heart, and he doesn’t plan to change that for the comments of people he doesn’t know or care for. 

It’s fine. He’ll get over this hiccup like any other. It doesn’t have to mean anything just because the universe decided to remind him of his age. It’s fine. 

*** 

_Portimao_

Except it’s not fine. 

They arrive in Portugal early on Thursday, and once he’s recorded a quick video with Esteban for Aurelie to post on Instagram and done a couple of interviews, he’s pretty much free for the rest of the day bar a work-out whenever Michael feels like torturing him. He can’t remember the last time he had this much free time on track, and he’s thrilled to slip into Max’s hotel room to spend as much of the evening cuddling as possible. And perhaps ordering room service approved by neither Michael nor Brad, Max’s trainer. 

He’s surprised to find Max already there, sat up on the bed, phone in hands, with his suit case next to the wall unpacked. Max gestures him in as soon as he notes Daniel’s presence, barely lifting his eyes from the screen. 

“Look what Alex showed me today,” he tells Daniel once they’re settled next to each other, Max’s thumb slipping under Daniel’s shirt to press into his hipbone. He restarts the video and tilts his phone towards Daniel. “I don’t know how I haven’t seen it before.” 

It’s a video from Silverstone, one of Daniel being interviewed by Jenson. He watches his on-screen self answer a couple of questions, before Lando walks into the frame. Daniel remembers this interview pretty well – remembers making fun of Lando and his lack of attention on-track, and how he had flipped Daniel’s cap off his head in retaliation. Daniel’s nearly proud of what a feisty omega Lando can be when he wants to, if only it wasn’t directed at him. 

Max laughs at the face Daniel pulls on-screen and squeezes his hip. 

“You two are gonna be a riot at McLaren next year. Two of the most spirited omegas in one team, poor Andreas and Zak.” 

Daniel huffs. 

“Poor me, too. The kid might drive _me_ insane,” Daniel laughs, pushing Max’s phone back towards him. 

“Yeah, alright. He’s like two years younger than me, he’s hardly a kid,” Max replies, flopping back onto the bed, then tugs at Daniel’s shirt until he falls down next to him, back to Max’s chest, until Max can curl around him. He immediately tucks his nose into Daniel’s neck and drapes a leg over his thigh, and a moment later Daniel can feel their combined scent permit the air, relaxing his body. 

“Nap now,” Max clarifies in case Daniel hadn’t caught on yet, and snakes an arm around him to intertwine their fingers. Daniel wants to laugh at how his Alpha refuses to ever admit he loves spooning and covering Daniel’s body as much with his own as possible, yet does exactly that when given a chance, like he’s trying to claim him without actually claiming him. 

Instead, his mind wanders to Max’s words, because he’s right. And Lando, who Daniel still half-considers a child, is only two years younger than him. Two years isn’t that much, but eight years – eight years is a considerable difference. He’s thankful that he can hear Max’s breathing even out behind him in a sign that he’s fallen asleep, because Daniel is pretty sure he can’t hide the distress from seeping into his scent. The more he thinks about it, the more absurd it is; his Alpha is eight years younger. More evidently, he is an omega that is eight years older than his Alpha. He’s probably not capable of giving Max what a younger omega could – whether that be pups, a body that will match Max’s for energy, or an intimate knowledge of the latest memes and online games. He will develop wrinkles years before Max, and he will have grey hairs when Max could choose an omega that will preserve for longer. 

And it’s not like Daniel has ever doubted Max’s love for him, he was practically ready to mate Daniel within a month of meeting him, but he’s not sure he can keep him interested forever. Each year, they get new racers on the grid, and each year the teams hire new personnel, some of which will no doubt he fresh-faced omegas. Who’s to say Max won’t want someone closer to his age, someone that will know the names of all the Kardashians and play Call of Duty with him? 

It’s an uneasy thought to have, and something pulls at his stomach uncomfortably. He focuses on the solid feel of Max’s heartbeat behind him, his steady breath directly hitting the unmarked skin where Daniel's shoulder meets his neck. Daniel falls into a restless sleep. 

Three days later, he only manages a ninth-place finish. 

*** 

_Imola_

Daniel is still wet from the podium walking into his driver’s room, champagne dripping from his hair with every step he takes and mouth tasting sub-optimal after the shoey he finally remembered to have on the podium. He barely has a chance to close the door behind him when there is a loud, hungry growl echoing through the room and he is firmly pressed against the door, Max’s lips on his and hands prying his trophy and helmet from his hands. Daniel can barely catch a breath, his racing suit being slipped off him, Max’s fingers tugging at his curls and pressing bruises into his hip. 

“Fuck, baby, you did it again,” he murmurs against Daniel’s collarbone once he succeeds at ridding Daniel of his overalls and fireproofs, leaving him in his underwear. Daniel shivers, but it has nothing to do with his exposed body, and everything to do with Max keeping him flush against the door, his body bracketing Daniel in. 

“Last time you belonged to the team, but today you’re _mine_. My best boy, my champion, my omega,” he tells him, and Daniel can feel his underwear getting wet. He can’t help the moan that leaves his lips, and he repeats it louder when Max turns him around and pushes him onto the sofa. 

He climbs on top of Daniel and pins his hands down, immediately connecting their lips again and grinding their crotches together. 

“My beautiful baby,” he breathes, and Daniel wants to respond but he can’t, can’t do anything but watch Max undress himself and inhale the musk of their combined arousal. It’s the best thing he’s ever smelled, so intoxicating it makes his head spin, and when Max leans down again, letting their naked chests press together, he still wants him closer. 

“Max, need you, please,” he whines, rocking his hips up and into Max’s, but instead Max does the opposite. 

“No, I wanna take my time,” he tells Daniel, voice so low Daniel can practically feel another bit of slick leak out of him at his words. “Turn around for me.” 

The sofa is small and uncomfortable, but Daniel does his best to manoeuvre onto his front, swivelling his body bracketed by Max’s thighs on either side of him, and when he lifts his bum up, Max takes the opportunity to slide off his briefs. His bare cock rubs against the leather and he wants to grind into it, but then he feels Max’s palm slide slowly down his spine, gently settle at his waist, and it’s like the urgency disappears, his body content to hold on for as long as Max needs him to. 

He expected this to be fast-paced and rough, knows how his Alpha likes it usually, but he quickly realises that won’t be the case when he feels a soft kiss being pressed into his sacrum, right into the dip above his bum. 

“Let me show you how you make me feel, how proud I am to call you mine,” he whispers into the heat radiating off Daniel’s skin, digging his thumbs into Daniel’s muscles and rubbing at them soothingly in circles. 

Daniel is powerless to do anything else but let his body succumb to the pleasure when Max spreads his arse cheeks and licks at his hole, fingers gripping the meat of his bum when he does it again. He’s vaguely aware of the desperate sounds he’s letting out, moans that are probably way too loud for the walls to contain, but it doesn’t matter when Max whispers _you’re so stunning, let it all out for me_ into the spot where Daniel’s arse meets his thigh. 

The way Max’s tongue fucks into him makes his thighs tremble, and while he’s burning up inside, being able to taste the air that’s thick with Max’s pheromones slows down the time, lets him bask in the way Max’s lips feel on him, how every shred of his being is focussed on Daniel. 

“You can come whenever you want,” Max rasps as he pets at Daniel’s arse, and his chin must be wet with Daniel’s slick because it’s sticky when it presses into his upper thigh. That, combined with the mental image of Max’s lips stained a deep red from working Daniel over with his mouth, is enough to make his breath hitch, and he presses his aching cock into the leather of the sofa, seeking some friction. Max puts his tongue back on him, and it doesn’t take longer than a minute for Daniel to clench around him and shake through his orgasm. 

He slumps against the fabric under him, but there’s a persistent whining in his ears, and he doesn’t realise it’s himself begging, whimpering for Max to knot him, until Max lowers himself on top of Daniel’s back and shushes him. His cock slots in between Daniel’s arse cheeks, and he moves back to guide it into Daniel, sliding in slowly, filling every inch of him deeply and completely. His hands find Daniel’s, and he intertwines their fingers, pressing into the leather on each side of Daniel’s head while he kisses Daniel’s jaw, breath hot at the back of his neck. 

“You’re so good for me, so beautiful,” he rumbles, starting a slow movement, hips barely separating from Daniel’s before he’s pushing back in, rocking into him in waves. “The very best. My omega, my perfect mate. I love you so much.” 

Daniel squeezes Max’s fingers trying to show how much the words get to him, speechless, but he also knows the goosebumps at his neck will let Max know. Max is saying all the right things, fucking him so tenderly, each thrust shaking Daniel directly to his core, that Daniel has no choice but to take it all in, let Max have his fill and replace the bits he’s taken from Daniel with parts of himself. 

“Alpha,” he whispers, throat dry, drinking in the rhythmic sound of Max’s skin slapping against his, the panting of his mate, but Max understands him, would from half a word. He connects their lips, and he tastes a bit of Daniel’s slick when Daniel swipes his tongue against Max’s plump bottom lip, but it’s a bitterness Daniel never wants to not have in his mouth. 

“No one does it like you do, baby. You’re precious, more than anything I could have ever asked for,” Max breathes into his mouth, and there’s a pressure against Daniel’s hole, growing and growing at each thrust until Max can no longer pull out and stays inside him, his knot expanding and his come filling Daniel up. 

Their kisses turn salty, and Max pulls away to press his lips against the skin under Daniel’s eyes, marking a trail down his cheeks and back to his mouth. 

“Shh, it’s okay,” he murmurs, and Daniel comes again, shuddering through it and squeezing tight around Max’s cock. Max doesn’t move until Daniel’s sobs subside, fingers still pressing Daniel’s palms into the sofa and chest so slotted against Daniel’s back it would hurt if he were any further away. Max turns them around on their sides, the sofa narrow but just wide enough to allow them to crowd in close without falling off it. Max cradles Daniel in his arms and lets him just breathe for a while. His fingers play at the juncture of Daniel’s neck and shoulder. 

By the time Daniel is ready to face Max again, Max’s knot has gone down enough for him to slip out, but they haven’t moved out of the position. Daniel turns in Max’s arms, and seeing his eyes drill into him is nearly uncomfortable. He knows he’s got to be honest with Max, even if it means revealing some parts of himself he doesn’t want to let anyone see. 

Max must be able smell his conflict, because he pets at Daniel’s curls in concern. 

“If you’re not ready, we can wait. Whatever you need,” he tells Daniel, and maybe that’s what opens the floodgates in his mind, letting the words spill out. 

Daniel breathes in and closes his eyes. 

“I’ve had some doubts about us in the last month. Not us, exactly-” he hastily adds when he hears Max’s sharp intake of breath, “about me, really. I wasn’t sure if you wanted an omega that’s so much older than you, if I'm enough for you.” 

Max stays silent, thankfully, and Daniel can’t determine anything in his scent, so he continues. 

“There’s been a couple of things that have made me stop and think and remember that I’m not in my twenties anymore. And it’s scary, seeing your body age and question whether your mate won’t be better off with someone his own age.” Daniel swallows, pushes past the tightness in his throat. “I want to give you so much, and I want to make you happy, but for a moment I nearly convinced myself that what you deserve is an omega that doesn’t age quicker than you, or that you should be with an omega that can give you a pup anytime in the next twenty years, not someone who will maybe have a year or two between ending their career and hitting the biological wall to giving birth.” 

There is a light touch at Daniel’s neck again, Max’s thumb drawing a slow circle into it. Daniel is scared to open his eyes, but he fights past his instinct, reminds himself that he trusts his Alpha more than he is scared of his own fears. He finds Max’s eyes, and they’re such a steely blue he can’t remember why he needed to hide from them in the first place. His body feels too small to contain all that he holds for Max. 

“I’m sorry you’ve been feeling like this for a month,” Max says, and his nail catches on Daniel’s skin under his jaw. “I wish you had told me earlier so I could have shared it with you, but thank you for telling me now.” 

He stays quiet for a second, clearly thinking over his words. 

“I knew you were eight years older when I met you, and I still fell in love with you back then. I’m even more in love with you now that I know you better, and even if I could change your age, I wouldn’t. I like you the way you are, with all that you’ve experienced. Nothing will change that.” His thumb halts, presses in for a second, then resumes its movement. 

“Do you not want someone more virile and energetic?” Daniel asks, remembering Lewis’ words from Sochi. 

Max frowns at the question. 

“Virile and energ-? No, I don’t,” he says decisively, voice steely. “Where is this coming from?” 

Daniel chews on his bottom lip. 

“Lewis said something a while ago, I guess it just stuck with me a bit,” he confesses, and watches as Max rolls his eyes. 

“Believe me when I say that Alphas talk to each other, and Lewis is currently going through a phase of trying to prove to himself that he’s not got feelings for Nico. Don’t listen to what he says, and definitely don’t take it to heart. You _are_ virile and energetic. I don’t need a twenty-year-old omega to get that out of a relationship.” 

Daniel smiles a bit at his words, remembering the push and pull he witnessed first-hand between Lewis and Nico years ago. 

“I want you to know I never doubted you and your feelings for me, by the way. It was all in my head, but it was more my own insecurities rather than anything to do with you,” he tells Max, because it’s important he knows. Max has been it for Daniel for a long time, his end game, and luckily, he’s never had to question whether Max feels the same for him. He just wasn’t sure it’s what Max should be feeling. 

Max smiles at him reassuringly, and moves their faces even closer to slot his lips between Daniels. When he pulls back, the smile is gone and he looks serious. 

“If you asked me to mate you right now, I would. I know you’re my omega, and I can’t wait until the world knows how happy you make me. All you have to do is ask.” 

Daniel stills Max’s hand on his neck to intertwine their fingers and presses a kiss to Max’s knuckles. His brave, fearless Alpha. 

“I can’t wait either. But for all the right reasons, let’s wait. No reason we should go through a lot of bullshit when we can make it easier on both of us.” 

Max nods his okay. 

“You know I wouldn’t let you deal with any bullshit. The world’s rough, but I'm gonna do my everything to make it as kind for you as I can. Even if that means protecting you from yourself,” he adds, eyes flicking down between them where Daniel’s stomach isn’t a single inch apart from Max’s. “Pups or no pups, we’ll figure it out. As long as I have you.” 

Daniel nods. His neck tingles, but he knows one day the unmarked skin will be decorated with a bite from the Alpha looking at him with unwavering conviction in his eyes. When their lips meet again, he has no choice but to share that conviction, too. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i'm screwstyles on tumblr


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